Tunnels of the Dark
by lovedove830
Summary: Sonic and the team must venture into an abandoned Eggman base. They only want to explore, but find something even more... NOTE: SOON TO BE DELETED OR STOPPED BEING WORKED ON.
1. Before You Read

**Hello! Well, here I am with another fanfic. I'm bad with words, so when you review, friendly advice is welcome! Useless shit and flames are not! So, this story may be a bit scary, so I cranked it up to rating T. It also has a bit of humor in it, so that should calm it down a bit. Well, I'm sad to say I must go over some things before we can get going. You can skip this, but you'll understand the story less, so I advise you read this.**

**First, this story takes place after a great battle at Egg City, one of Eggman's bases. After Sonic and his pals battled Eggman and put his base to Self-Destruct, Sonic, his pals, and Eggman escaped while it blew up. It was run by this toxic liquid, which splattered pretty much everywhere in the field it was located in. Most of the base was underground, while only a small dome building was above. Many tunnels extended like a maze beneath the surface. No one knows how long or far they go. Some people believe it goes to the center of Sonic's world itself. So, anyways, the toxic stuff killed all the animals and plants, so everything died there. It was so poisonous that the plants never grew back. Metal parts of once working robots and dead trees and grass scattered this place. Another sad story of this place was some people before Sonic and his pals came to stop this tried to do it themselves. Many people and they all got lost in the tunnels and died. **

**Second, I have some OCs in here which may need some explaining. One is Ashley the White Tiger. She has an emerald necklace which lets her use physic powers. No, she is not as powerful as you think. She can't tell the future or anything. Next is Michelle the Rabbit, who is Ashley's best friend. She is paired up with Tails in this one, mostly because I think they honestly make a good couple. Last is Maddie the Hedgehog. She's just basically like your normal hedgehog. She's paired up with Shadow, mostly because she fills up the hole in his heart.**

**Third, some of the original characters in here have personality changes. Like Sonic is a guy who hopelessly flirts with ladies but never seems to get any luck, except with Amy. Though she's not the person he hopes to get attention from. **

**Last, there are some couples in here. They are Knuckles x Rouge, Silver x Blaze, Tails x OC, Shadow x OC, and the others are just not interested in romance now. I'm not sure if Sonic x Amy counts, because Amy is just obsessed with him and Sonic is a bit too old for her. **

**Hope I didn't leave anything out! Well, happy reading!**

**-lovedove830-**


	2. Through the Fog

_Ghost Field, 1:00 pm._

Ashley peered over the rocky hill and scanned the area.

It was a gloomy and depressed place. A gray, thin fog hovered over a gray field. Trees gray and dead were everywhere. Their thin sharp branches reached out, as though they were calling for help. Other than a few small prickly dead bushes, there was no other vegetation. It was mostly rocks and pebbles sitting on hard dirt that was like cement. Pieces of metal were strung everywhere, as the moonlight bathed the place in an eerie glow. A small dome building was placed in the middle of the mess, yet it seemed as dead as everything else. The landscape was as flat like glass and hard as it too.

Ashley lowered below the hill and looked at her friends. Sonic, who was seated in the middle of the ladies in the group. Shadow, Tails, Michelle, Amy, Knuckles, Rouge, Blaze, and Silver. 10 people in this group. Strange activity had been detected at the base, and they wanted to take extra measures. That, and Amy wanted to go along just because of Sonic.

Sonic was leaning against a giant rock next to him, a small grin implanted on his lips. "So…ladies…how about we head over to my place for drinks and dinner after this mission?" The girls all looked at each other with disgusted looks on their faces. Then they burst in laughter. "Dinner with you? When did you learn how to cook?" Blaze snorted. "I hear your mother still cooks for you!" Rouge giggled. They all howled into another fit of laughter. A slight tingle of red blush was visible in Sonic's face. The grin had completely vanished and been replaced with a slight frown. Knuckles gave him a thumbs up. "Nice going, ladies man." This time all the guys and girls laughed, except for Amy. She was clearly smitten with him. No, scratch that. She was obsessed with him. "I'll go to dinner with you, Sonic-kins!" She said dreamily. Sonic's frown became deeper. "Uh, no thanks Amy." Amy pouted.

Maddie got up, brushing her jeans and long lavender quills. "C'mon, we need to check out this place. We have to see if anything is still active, and if there is, we have to shut it down. Hate for Eggman to attack us again." Everyone else nodded and got up. Tails got out 10 watch-like devices. "Here, put these on. We'll be able to keep in touch. As long as they are in good enough condition to work and are turned on, they'll be able to send messages to others. The green button—" Tails pointed to a small square button. "—will let you communicate with the others. Just speak into it." There 2 small arrow shaped buttons on the side, which Tails explained next. "This little screen will show the name of the name of the person who will receive the message. Press the arrow buttons to change the person who you'll be talking to." Tails did a small demonstration, pressing the buttons until Michelle's name came up on the screen. He pressed the green button, and began speaking into it. "Michelle, you look…nice today." Michelle blushed, and smiled. "Thanks…" she said quietly. Ashley winked at her. Tails handed everyone their watch. Maddie fumbled with hers. "Ugh, I can't seem to get this on…" she mumbled under her breath. Shadow, who was watching her, walked over to her. "Um, I think I can help you…" His crimson eyes met her midnight blue ones. She showed him her wrist as he put on her communication watch. Maddie blushed at the feeling of Shadow's soft hands brushing against hers.

Finally, everyone had their watch on. Blaze's wrists sparked slightly. "If any robot in that base tries to attack us, I'll make it into burnt marshmallow!" Silver created a spark out of physic powers, smiling at Blaze. Amy hugged Sonic. "I'll make sure to protect you from any meanie robots, Sonic-kins!" Sonic groaned and shot a glance at the other girls, while trying to block out the noise of the guys laughing at him. The team started going through the field to the base.

The fog made it somewhat hard to see. Luckily, they could tell each other from the shadows that pierced through the thin fog. The sound of rocks and pebbles being kicked or stepped on was frequent, as was the shadows of the trees. They were dead and lifeless, with sharp thin branches zigzagging into the air. Bark as black as coal, they were like ghosts, lingering in the place where their life's ended short. Sharp branches cut through the fog like daggers. Animal life was as dead as the trees. Not a single bird chirp or animal squeak was heard. Wasn't surprising, as this place seemed too gloomy for life to thrive. "I can't believe this place used to be a lush field…" Rouge whispered, to herself really. Knuckles, who was near her, nodded, though no one could really see because of the fog. "The toxic must have really been…uh…toxic." Rouge couldn't help do a girly chuckle at his remark. Tails, wanting to lighten the mood with science, decided to give them a small lesson.

"Egg City was powered by a poison called Lilac Porem Cyruim. A lot of Porem flowers thrived here, and actually only here. They were unique flowers. Their roots held this toxic, and were released into the ground when it got irritated by underground activity, like bugs or other plants. As time passed, the poison became more deadly. Other Porem flowers were immune to it, though. Porem poison was also shown to have a sort of radiation energy. Eggman must have known, and used it to power his city. In the soil beneath our feet, their radiation power is still at work." Tails smiled at his lesson. Sadly, no one was really listening but Michelle, who was interested in science as well. "Will it ever wear out? I'm pretty sure it won't wear out by rain, as the hard crust of this ground must protect it. Let alone if water even affects it." Tails beamed, as he loved to explain things to others. "Probably, but it will take decades maybe. The radiation power is pretty strong, so…" Michelle's and Tails' voices were lost in a discussion of science and chemistry that everyone else could not translate.

The voices of conversations drifted to the overcast sky above as they walked towards the base. Its dome-shaped shadow was soon visible through the white fog. It was old, with pieces of the roof chipping off. The door was jammed shut, and the red color was fading off. Eggman's icon, which was the shape of his head, was somewhat visible above the door. "Okay, everyone ready?" Tails asked. "Turn on your communication watches." As soon as everybody was done with that, Knuckles and Rouge walked to the door. "Let us take care of this." They assured. Some punching and kicking later, the door was flung open. Inside was dark, with a few lights blinking faintly in the light. The team looked one last look at the outside and ventured inside.


	3. Into Dark Tunnels

_Egg City, Level H-1, 1:15 pm_

Rouge started to enter the dome, when suddenly Sonic zoomed in front of her. "Don't worry ladies. I'll make sure it's safe." The only response he got was a frown and a dreamy sigh from Amy. Sonic walked in. It was colder than outside, and darker. In fact, it seemed like night. Dust and metal pieces were everywhere. Yet, compared to the outside, it was in pretty good shape. There was a monitor on one of the walls, but it had a giant crack in it. There were buttons and levers on the walls. A sign on the wall, which still seemed to function properly, was pulsating gently with red light.

_H-1_

Sonic saw some of the buttons seemed to still be working. Their lights were still blinking, and they didn't seem broken. The girls outside were becoming impatient and walked inside. "Sonic, are you done with your—" Maddie began, then saw that Sonic was pushing a few buttons. "Don't touch those!" she yelled, pushing him away from the controls. Sonic seemed to fly through the air, then landed his butt and looked up at her. "Just seeing if they were still working…" Sonic mumbled…getting up while rubbing his thighs. Everyone in the building stayed silent, trying to listen for the hiss of a machine or the crack of beam from a robot. While it was only a few seconds, the silence in the room seemed to cut into everyone. Even breathing seemed to stop as everyone got ready to fight. Finally, it was clear no reaction was made. Tails walked over to the controls. He studied them. "Hmm, light seems to be working, but functions looks dead." Tails shot Sonic a quick glance. Silver frowned at him. "Nice going." He grumbled at him. Amy literally pounced on him. "Oh, Sonic! How brave, how daring, how—" Sonic groaned as she went on.

Shadow looked around for a door or another room. "This goes underground, so I'm guessing we're looking for something that goes down." Tails nodded. "Right, as this base continues below ground." Michelle examined the buttons without touching them. "Maybe one of these buttons, if pressed, will open up an elevator or some sort of transportation to go lower." Ashley looked at the controls. "How will we know which one it is? They have no names, or anything." Blaze, who was walking toward a wall, tripped. She landed on the floor with a loud clang that echoed throughout the room. She groaned, rubbing her stomach. Silver quickly helped her. "You okay, Blaze?" He asked, extending a hand. Cursing, she grabbed his hand and pulled herself up to her feet. "Damn piece of…" Then a handle sticking out of the cold metal ground caught her eye. Silver noticed it too. "Is that what you tripped over…?" Blaze didn't answer. She bent over and put her hand on it. It was freezing to the touch. She pulled on it, and nothing happened. Turning it this time, she felt it move. Her hand kept on turning until a small click was heard. It flipped open with a rusty screech. A blast of cold wind flew out of the hole. Silver was now also crouched beside her, peering in. It was too dark to see anything.

"Hey, guys!" Silver announced. "I think we found a way to get below…" This attracted everyone's attention. Ashley stuck her head in. After a moment, she pulled it back out, coughing while her teeth chattered. "It's dark, and cold. The air is all musty and old, but we have to."

_Hallway H-1, 1:28pm_

The team found themselves in a narrow passageway. Red lights gently flared in the piercing blackness, along another _H-1._ A cold reserved for winter also filled the hallways, along with musty air. There were no signs of robots of any kind and no sounds of clanking or metal. Nobody was sure where the tunnel would lead, so they headed straight. Breaths came out in small clouds, which would drift upwards and eventually disappear. Since they didn't really know what direction to go, they just went straight. Silence engulfed the team. No one spoke. They just kept walking, wondering what would await them at the end of the hallway. If there was an end.

Finally, they reached a room. It was big as it was empty. The red lights reached the middle of the ceiling, and then split into five colors. The red continued again, but blue, yellow, purple, and green also formed. They all split off into different directions and into different tunnels. The room had a map on the wall, which was lit up by a soft light purple light. Rouge went over to it and tried to study it, but half of it was completely faded out. The half that was visible showed the control room aboveground, the room the team was in, and 1/3 of the tunnels that led off into who knows where. The tunnels were H-2, P-1, D-1, C-1, and M-1. The team would have to split into teams and further explore the base.

"Hey, Knuckles. There's a map here, but half of it is gone…" Rouge said, gesturing him to come over. Knuckles walked over and examined it. "Hmm, very unfortunate that half of its gone. Looking at what we have, looks like the tunnels are just like the one we were in before. Not sure if they end in a room like this with more tunnels, but they might end in a room of any kind." Knuckles gazed at his communication watch. "Looks like we'll need these…" He observed. Sonic, seeing his chance to make a move with the ladies, or at least a lady, decided to speak up. Licking his hands then running them through his spines, he said "Well, we're gonna have to split up." He scanned the room, wondering which girl to take. He decided Ashley, then maybe next time Maddie. Then Rouge, and Blaze. Michelle was a bit too young for him. Walking over to Ashley, he continued. "I know who I'm gonna pick." He slowly put an arm around her, and pulled her closer. Ashley suddenly yelled out. "Oh, great you made up your mind Sonic. Never thought your mind was as fast as your feet. I'm going with Michelle." Throwing his arm off of her, she quickly ran next to Michelle. Michelle winked, and whispered "Good job, you really blew him off of you."

The rest of the girls quickly grabbed their partners, not taking a single chance with Sonic. Rouge glided over to Knuckles, landing in his arms. Blushing, she fluttered her eyelashes at him. Knuckles replied with a blush and a grin. Blaze quickly grabbed Silver's arm, while Maddie looked over at Shadow. She was too shy to ask him to be partners, but no way was she gonna go with the womanizer. Blaze noticed, and wanting to save one of her best friends, she yelled to Shadow. "Hey Shadow! Maddie wants to be partners with you!" Her voice echoed and rang in Shadow's ears. Maddie winced and was about give Blaze an angry look, when Shadow walked over to her. He held her hand, smiling at her. "Of course. I'll be her partner. Hate for Sonic to get his hands on her." Maddie blushed as she looked up at him. His smile melted her heart as he added "Don't worry, I'll protect you m'lady." Maddie blushed than looked at Blaze, who winked at her. Maddie smiled and mouthed the words "Thank you." Michelle, looking at the chance for her to be with Tails, yelled "Hey, um, Miles?" Tails looked into her direction. "Um, yes?" he asked a bit shaky. "One of our groups has to be three people and would you like to…be…part of our….group?" She offered. Tails smiled and trotted over. Michelle flashed him a brilliant grin as he came over.

Sonic looked for someone else. His jaw dropped when he saw the only person left…Amy. Beads of sweat poured down his temples and forehead. Her back was turned to him as she studied the map. Then to Sonic's horror, Knuckles nudged her. Amy spun around to look at him. Knuckles whispered something in her ear, than the biggest smile ever spawned grew on her face. Then at the top of her lungs, she screamed

"-KKKKIIIIIINNNNNNSSSS!!!!!!"

The piercing cry bounced off of the walls of them room. The rest of the team cringed as the shrill screech seemed to cut right through their eardrums. Even after the last traces of it were gone, ears were still ringing like bells. Sonic felt like crying as he saw Amy sprint over to him. He felt her whole body weight barge into his stomach. Groaning, he rubbed his belly. "Ugh, okay…Amy. Hi." Amy hugged him so tight he thought he heard his spinal cord crack.

The teams eventually entered the tunnels, not sure what they would find. Robots or dust. Either one would spring up. With cold breath clouds and darkness around them, they boldly ventured off into the unknown. But if only they had looked more carefully, they would have noticed a note. Pinned to the wall by a small knife, hidden well in the shadows, it said three simple words. But, it is the three simple words that would have changed the perspective of everything. Red and dripping with blood-like substance, the three words stood coldly on the piece of paper. No eyes to read them.

_Please help us_


	4. Hallway D1

_Hallway D-1, Blaze and Silver_

Hallway D-1 seemed no different than the others. Cold air, musty air, dark. Nope, nothing different, except that the wall lights were a different color. Silver and Blaze walked through the hallways, wondering what would happen. Their footsteps echoed throughout the empty corridor. No doors or stairs on the walls appeared, so they kept on walking. Most of the time, they kept their mouths shut. Sometimes, they would say a word or two, but usually silence hung in the air around them. The purple lights on the walls were the only lights they had to guide them. Blaze shivered.

"Geez, for an underground base, this place sure is cold." Silver nodded. "You think for an underground base it would be warmer." Blaze rubbed her arms, hugging herself. Then she felt Silver wrap his arm around her shoulder. Blushing, she weakly said "Uh, thanks…" Silver smiled. They kept on walking down the hallway, trying to trap what little warmth they could catch.

"Hey, I think it's a dead end."

Blaze felt the wall they had run into. It was cold, yet smooth. The purple lights ended in the middle and created a strange design. Blaze studied it carefully, and it resembled a D. Looking around, she tried to find a hidden door or stairs. Nothing, just cold hard walls with purple lights on them. Silver ruffled his hand through his fur, surprised at not feeling any frost. He leaned against the wall. "Well, do you think we—" he never finished that sentence, as the wall he leaned on gave away. He landed on his back. "Ow! What the hell was that?" Blaze looked into the hidden passageway. Dark stairs led up to an unknown place; while purple lights hummed and blinked, as though out of order. Luckily, it was warmer, yet darker. After helping Silver up, they ventured up the stairs. The stairs creaked with every step as they traveled into the darkness. Wanting to break the eerie silence, Silver spoke.

"Where do you think this leads us too?" Blaze shrugged. "Who knows?" Silver frowned. "Can you at least take a guess?" Blaze rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "…Another control room, a room full of dusty robots…another staircase?" Silver's back became stiff at the mention of another staircase. It seemed like endless tunnels of hallways and staircases. They continued walking. The lights flickered and buzzed loudly. The pounding of their steps echoed throughout the staircase. Blaze looked back. Their entrance was lost in a mantle of darkness. Blaze chewed her lip and turned forward again. Her mind wandered when they would be out of this dark base and out in the sun again. The fresh air filling her lungs and giving her energy to pump her legs and run…Sounded like heaven at the moment. She allowed a smile to grow on her face.

After a few minutes, they reached a door. It was smooth and dusty. Its knob was broken, but the door could be easily opened. A red and yellow design was on it. Blaze looked at Silver. She said nothing, but the silence spoke for her. Silver nodded. Blaze put her hand on the door. It was warm. Her heart beat raced. She pushed the door opened, using all the muscle in her arm. The door swung opened and pounded against the wall of the inside room. Light flooded from the room like a tidal wave. It crashed into everything it hit, casting the cursed darkness with light. Blaze and Silver, having become used to the darkness, were slightly blinded. Blaze covered her eyes, slightly hissing at the minor pain. Silver let a cry jump out of his throat as he clawed at the light like an enemy. Then they slowly opened their eyes. Light. They finally noticed that there was no more darkness. Silver walked into the room first, making sure there were no enemies. His eyes became wide at the sight. "I, oh, Blaze!" he gasped. Blaze peeked from behind his back and her jaw dropped open at the information her eyes were sending to her brain.

They were in a lit room. A grand chandelier was suspended in the air. Branches of metal supporting many light bulbs divided out into a large space. A crystal floor was mounted in the ground that held the reflection of Silver and Blaze. Yet, it was easy to walk on. A large red platform was located in the middle of the room, which neither Blaze nor Silver knew what it was for. They didn't care. They were too busy looking at the walls of the room. The walls were decorated with the same red and yellow design on the door. It was like the wings of a butterfly. Bright, vivid colors piercing the ugliness of the previous hallways and staircases. The pattern danced before their eyes, and even seemed to be moving.

Blaze swayed her hips in a beat that seemed to only exist in her head. Her tail flicked. "Oh, this is…wow." Blaze breathed. Silver said nothing. His eyes were still dreamily absorbing the details that were in sharp contrast with the dark dull passageways. "I…" then Silver seemed to shake out of his trance. "But…why this room so pretty while the others were…just…y'know." Blaze stopped swing her hips. "You're right. This makes me wonder about this room." Silver looked around. "Why would a room like this be in an underground base anyways?" Blaze nodded in agreement. This was a base, not a castle. A ballroom would have no use in a base…unless Eggman…in his spare time…Blaze shuddered. She pushed those thoughts aside. Clearing her throat, she said "Um, well, at first glance it seems nothing is out of place." Silver tapped his chin. "You look on that side, I look on this side." Blaze nodded and walked over to the other side. She leaned against the wall, feeling against it. Any trap doors or anything, which was what she hoped to find. Silver did the same.

Blaze found nothing. She was about to open her mouth, then looked up. The ceiling. They had never looked there. "Hey Silver!"

No reply.

A bit louder, she called again. "Silver!"

No reply again.

Blaze frowned. "Silver, if this is a joke, it's not fun—"

A screaming crash was heard. A wave of broken glass bombarded Blaze. Pain shuddered through her body as she felt some of the glass pierce her skin. She quickly used a fire shield to protect herself. "Silver!" she shouted in the array of flying glass. His voice did not reach her ears. The chandelier had fallen. Broken glass was littered everywhere on the floor. Blaze checked the glass stabbed into her skin. It wasn't too deep, and luckily, she had put up the fire barrier in time. She pulled them out gently. Barely any blood trickled out of her minor wounds. Smiling at the fact she was barely hurt, she continued to look for Silver. "Silver!" Blaze yelled. She looked around. No sign of him. Was he the one behind this? Blaze scowled. No, Silver would know that would get her hurt and he would never attempt it. How could he even climb on the ceiling anyways?

Blaze felt something ram into her back. She fell on the floor. Fortunately, no glass hurt her, but her back ached with pain. She was about to get up, when something pressed into her shoulder. It was sharp, and a sting buzzed on her skin as it entered her. The world became black before her eyes. The beautiful design, the broken chandelier, the scattered glass, everything was turning dark. Before she blacked out, she heard Silver. "Blaze!" She would have responded to him, but her body was overcome by a wave of numbness. Her mouth wouldn't work, and her voice stayed shut in her throat.

In her shoulder, she felt a red, thick liquid dibble down her shoulder. Blood. Her body gave up the fight to stay awake, and she closed her eyes, letting the blood trickle down her body and onto the floor.


End file.
